These short snippets about a very stupid but revered holy man were first published in Hundreds and Hundreds (Puffin 1984), an anthology Peter edited in celebration of the NSPCC’s 100th anniversary. They still make him laugh…

This story was first published in Guardian Angels (Viking 1987). Fifteen previous winners of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award were asked to write a story on the theme of a guardian angel. Peter’s funny and charming story about a very unusual guardian was the result.

Originally written as part of a preface for a new edition of Water: Tales of the Elemental Spirits which Peter wrote with Robin McKinley, this beguiling story was eventually not needed in the printed book.